In the Dark
by moonstone glows
Summary: Will an accident bring some members of the Juunishi closer together
1. Chapter 1

D1

Yuki flung open the door to his brothers shop, storming inside and slamming it shut, already yelling.

"Where are you, you stupid snake?"

The only reply was a yelp, and he turned in time to see a startled Ayame starting to fall as the step ladder he was standing on overbalanced when Yuki's violent entry made him jump.

Before Yuki could take a single step in his direction, Ayame and the ladder had both come crashing to the floor.

"Ayame?" Yuki hurried over, expecting to see his brother pouting at him, overplaying it for all he was worth. Instead, Ayame lay perfectly still, the ladder lying across his legs, his brilliant hair spread across the floor.

"Ayame?" Yuki took a step closer, still receiving no response, and now Yuki could see a trail of blood starting to taint the silver white of his hair.

Yuki hurried for the counter, pulling the phone out from underneath and frantically dialing with shaking fingers.

"Sohma Hatori." The phone was finally answered after what felt like entirely too many rings.

"Hatori-san, it….it's…..'nii-san. He, he fell."

"Yuki-chan, calm down. Take a deep breath, and tell me, SLOWLY."

"At the shop, I… I startled him, he fell from the ladder. He….. he isn't moving."

In his office, Hatori winced at the thought of the damage a fall from any kind of height could do to the fragile snake.

"Is he breathing all right?"

"I… I think so."

"Call an ambulance, and stay with him. Don't let them give him any drugs, tell them that I am his physician and that they are to wait for me. I'll meet you at the hospital." Hatori ordered him.

"Right." Yuki pressed the disconnect, and then dialed for the ambulance.

Hatori looked at the last of Ayame's x-rays and sighed, the snake had been lucky it seemed, no fractures. The CAT scan had shown a little swelling inside the skull, under the narrow gash in his temple, but there were no hints it was going to cause a problem.

He moved over to the still, quiet figure in the bed, frowning. It was decidedly unnatural seeing Ayame either still, or quiet. The hebi looked small, frail and fragile in the hospital bed, the white gown making him seem ghostly. The only touch of color anywhere was the dried blood in the silver hair, and the darkening bruise, peeping around the edges of the dressing on his temple.

"Come on, Aaya, time to wake up," he said quietly, taking the cool hand in his own.

He wanted to hear Ayame complaining about the blood in his hair, and how awful the color of the hospital gowns was, and how terrible the décor of the room was. He wanted Ayame to be his usual brash, vibrant self. Even sleeping, the snake usually fidgeted, and this total stillness was frightening.

There was a soft moan, and the hand that rested in his flexed slightly.

"Oooh, my head." Ayame groaned, his free hand rising toward the offending area. Hatori caught the hand, pressing it back to the covers.

"Stay still Aaya-chan, you've had a nasty knock."

Long eyelashes fluttered, and ochre eyes slowly opened.

"Tori-san." There was a note of panic in the baritone voice.

Yuki looked up when Hatori headed slowly down the corridor to where he had left him waiting, and he saw Shigure and Tohru sitting in the chairs on the other side of the boy.

"Is he all right?" Yuki asked, jumping to his feet.

"No broken bones, and he regained consciousness," Hatori said, unsure how to say the next bit.

"I here a but there," Shigure said dryly, moving to stand beside Yuki.

"Yeah. Uh, there is some swelling, inside his skull from where he hit his head, and, he's blind." Hatori said bluntly.


	2. Chapter 2

D2

Much talking in this chapter, another shock for Yuki, and Tohru proves she isn't QUITE as oblivious as she seems to what is going on around her.

Yuki sat back down in his chair with a thump, looking up at Hatori dumbly.

"What do you mean, blind?" He finally stuttered.

"There was some swelling caused by the impact when he hit his head, and the optic nerve is being compressed by the pressure. This means the signals can't get through to his brain properly."

"When will he be able to see again, Hatori-san?" Tohru asked, nervously patting Yuki's tense shoulder.

"We don't know. Until the swelling goes down, we can't know if the damage done to the optic nerve is permanent or not. Normally in cases like this we would be able to give the patient drugs to help reduce the swelling faster, but we don't have that option here, he's allergic to too many chemicals to risk it." Hatori sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose against the incipient headache,

"Haa-san, how the hell is he going to understand what's going on around him?" Shigure asked.

"I don't know, you and I will just have to make sure he's not alone at all so that we can help him cope."

"What are you talking about? Why only you two?" Yuki asked suspiciously.

"What?" He demanded when he realized that the two older men were looking at him in a combination of shock and discomfort that he didn't like in the slightest.

"Don't you know?" Shigure asked.

"Know what, damn it?"

"Shigure, hush. If he doesn't know, we can't tell him, you know we can't. Ayame would never trust us again."

"Tell me what, what the hell are you two hiding?"

"Is it because Ayame-san is deaf?" Tohru asked very quietly.

All three men turned to stare at her, stunned.

"What makes you think that?" Shigure gasped.

"It's just the way he is, it seems obvious to me. If I'm wrong, I apologize for any offence," she said, blushing and bowing her head.

"You have caused no offence, Tohru-san. It is just very unusual for anyone to notice. I'm not entirely certain Akito-san even knows."

"But, when I went into the shop, I startled him when I started yelling, and you talk to him, when his back is to you, Hatori-san."

"He isn't totally deaf, there are some things he can hear, if they are over a certain volume, or at a certain pitch. He can hear me if I don't vary my pitch much when talking to him, and he can sometimes hear Shigure, depending on how shrill or loud he is being. He mostly depends on lip reading to know what people are saying, and if you went in yelling, then I bet you slammed the door open too. It was probably the movement of the door that startled him if he was concentrating on something else."

"God, this is all my fault." Yuki moaned, burying his face in his hands.

"No, it isn't. Knowing Aaya-chan, there was a reason you wanted to yell at him." Shigure smirked.

"Seems so stupid now. Apparently he had volunteered to do the costumes for the schools winter production, because I was going to be in it," Yuki said, scrubbing his hands through his hair.

"Can I see him?" He asked Hatori.

"Come on, I'll take you in, he'll need to know you're there." Hatori said, ushering Yuki along the corridor and leaving the other two to wait for them.

"OK, just so you know before you get in there, his eyes are covered to protect them." Hatori warned before opening the door.

"Right."

The room was dimly lit when they went in, the only light from a small lamp on over the bed so that the medical staff could see what they were doing in the room. Ayame was huddled against the pillows at the top of the bed, curled up in a little ball with his arms wrapped around his legs and his head down, and Yuki felt a shiver. This fragile, frail looking figure with bandaged eyes wasn't what he ever expected to see when he looked at his brother. Ayame was always loud, bright, cheerful and on the move.

"Aaya-chan, you're not going to be able to sleep like that, come on, lie properly." Hatori ordered, moving quietly to the bedside and resting a light hand on his friend's shoulder, encouraging him to uncurl. For the first time, Yuki really noticed the difference in the way Hatori talked to Ayame, compared to other people, the level, even tone.

Hatori straightened the covers over Ayame, then took his hand lightly.

"Aaya, Yuki-chan is here, he's going to sit with you for a little while, OK?"

Yuki felt bad about the panic he saw flit over his elder brother's face. If he had allowed Ayame to start building bridges with him, then his brother might have felt more comfortable about telling Yuki he was deaf.

"He knows about your hearing Aaya, Honda-san had figured it out, you don't have to worry about not being able to hear him. He's going to take your other hand now, and he'll just sit with you until you fall asleep."

Yuki took his brother's free hand in his and sat at the side of the bed, feeling the cold, thin fingers nervously close around his.

"Good. Go to sleep Ayame, and I'll come pick you up in the morning."

Ayame nodded, and Hatori nodded once at Yuki and withdrew from the room, leaving the brothers alone.

"I am so sorry." Yuki whispered as he looked at his brother, but of course, the words went unheard. Things made more sense to him now, the way Ayame seemed to desperate to make things up to him, but seemed to ignore it when Yuki yelled at him, now he knew the truth, that unless Ayame was facing him, he had no idea he was talking to him at all. Now he sat in silence, holding Ayame's hand gently, and watching as he slowly fell asleep. Once he was sure Ayame was sleeping, he slipped back out to where the others waited.


	3. Chapter 3

Ayame woke with a start as someone touched his face, jerking away from the cool fingers.

"Easy Aaya-chan, it's just me. Come on, let's get you dressed, I'm getting you out of here." Hatori's calm voice soothed, the nimble fingers absently starting to untangle the wealth of silver hair.

"Tori-san." Ayame breathed, relaxing a little.

"Yes. I'm taking you home with me, until you're better. I already went to your house and picked up some clothes and stuff for you, along with a selection of the crap from your bathroom," Hatori said, pulling back the covers and guiding Ayame to the edge of the bed.

"I'll wash your hair for you later, get the blood out." Hatori told him, fingering the stained locks with a frown, he hoped the blood would wash away cleanly from the pale hair.

He helped the younger man out of the drab hospital gown, and into the layers of the one of the Yukata he favored. He was worried by the silence, as Aaya said nothing, simply allowing Hatori to manipulate his limbs as he would to get him changed.

"Talk to me Ayame, please," he said, as he picked up a brush and started to brush out the long hair. Ayame shook his head, shoulders tightening, and Hatori felt his heart constrict as he realized the snake was crying, and trying to hide it from him. He dropped the brush and made Ayame sit on the edge of the bed, gently cupping the pale face between his hands.

"Hey, I know you're scared Aaya, I know it's horrible to lose a sense you rely on so much, but it is going to be ok. Shigure and I will look after you." Hatori promised him. He glanced over as he heard the door click, and frowned darkly at Shigure and Yuki as they came in without knocking. Yuki took a step back, but Shigure ignored the glare, sailing into the room.

"Ah, Aaya-chan, you're getting your bandages wet." He chided, sweeping Hatori aside and grasping the thin fingers in his hands, clutching them melodramatically to his chest.

There was a sound midway between a laugh and a sob, and Shigure pulled the snake into his arms, resting his cheek on top of Ayame's head for a moment.

"Yuki-chan and I came to stage a jailbreak, but it seems the dragon has beaten us to it. Oh, the shame, beaten by the staid and stuffy dragon," Shigure said cheerfully as he could, feeling the distress of the youngest of their trio.

"If you're quite finished with the amateur dramatics, Shigure, then I would like to finish brushing Ayame's hair so that we can get out of here." Hatori said haughtily, but Yuki saw the look that passed between them as they used their bickering to reassure Ayame that things were somewhere around normal.

"Um, maybe I should wait outside," Yuki said, feeling a little superfluous.

"No, that's OK Yuki-chan. Come on in." Hatori told him, stepping around to pick up the hairbrush again.

Yuki came closer to the bed, watching as Hatori and Shigure between them worked to get Ayame ready to go and try to lift his mood a little, and he realized with a start that he was jealous, he was jealous that the other two found it so easy to get along with Ayame, and accept his flaws, jealous that they found it so easy to forgive him when he did something stupid, or thoughtless, or insensitive, jealous of their patience with him. He realized too that if there was to ever be any kind of relationship between him and his older brother, he would have to stop expecting Ayame to change to live up to his expectations, without bending a little in return.

He realized that Hatori was watching him, even as he ran the brush carefully through the silky mass of Ayame's hair, and he smiled at the older juunishi.

"Ayame, would you like Yuki to finish brushing your hair, while Shigure and I go and find an orderly and finish getting you signed out?" Hatori asked, cocking a challenging brow at the Yuki.

"That would be….nice." Ayame whispered, sounding shy for the first time in Yuki's memory.

Yuki took the brush, carefully taking over the task as he was left alone with his 'nii-san once more.

tbc


	4. Chapter 4

As soon as they got to Hatori's house, Shigure shuffled Yuki off to the kitchen to put some tea on while Hatori guided the silent snake into the second bedroom, which would be his while he was there.

"How are you doing Aaya?"

"Fine, why wouldn't I be?" Ayame asked sadly.

"Come on, it's going to be OK." Hatori told him, nervously drawing him into a gentle hug.

He had seen Shigure hug Ayame hundreds of times, but had always shied away from the thought of hugging that willowy body when he was younger, and after Kana, he hadn't really wanted to touch anyone. As the slender body leaned into the comfort he offered though, he wondered what had scared him so much. Ayame was warm against him, and while the slight body was undeniably feminine, he could in no way be mistaken for a female in his arms.

"Come on, the other two went to make tea, I shudder to imagine what state Shigure has left the kitchen in." He finally mused into the silky hair under his chin.

"At least I won't have to see that," Ayame said, genuinely brightening up a little.

Hatori snorted, and slipped a hand under Ayame's elbow to lead him from the room. He couldn't help looking at the youngest of their trio as he guided him from the room, Ayame was one of the more fragile among the juunishi, but he didn't let anything keep him down for long, he was stunningly beautiful, energetic and creative. Why wasn't there ever any romance in the snake's life. Shigure was a letch, and would go after anything in a skirt, even if he didn't catch them that often, there were not a lot of girls that would accept not being allowed to hug a man. Hatori had tried, with Kana, but he had never seen Aaya show interest in _anyone. _

"Shigure, how can you make so much mess, making one pot of tea?" Hatori demanded, seeing the devastation in his kitchen as he eased Ayame into a chair.

"It wasn't just one pot of tea, there are sandwiches too. Dearest Aaya-chan must be famished after all that dreadful hospital food." Shigure informed him gaily, pointing out the misshapen sandwiches.

Hatori saw Yuki giving him an apologetic look, and shrugged, offering a faint smile before returning to the 'debate' with Shigure.

"He was in hospital overnight, Shigure, Ayame is not starving, and even if he were, I seriously doubt that ham and strawberry jam would be appealing." Hatori objected, examining the contents of the nearest sandwich.

"Ham and strawberry jam, in one sandwich? Gure-chan, that is revolting." Ayame shuddered, his nose wrinkling.

"Oh, but it's one of my favorites." Shigure pretended to be wounded, picking one up and biting into it happily.

"Shigure, you are seriously weird." Hatori informed him, disgusted.

"What? What did he say?" Ayame asked.

"It's not what he said, it's what he did." Hatori told him.

"Oh God, if he ate one, I do not want to know." Ayame gagged.

Yuki smiled quietly, he had never seen his brother acting 'normal' before, he always seemed to be over the top, going out of his way to grab Yuki's attention. He decided he liked him better like this, not blind, obviously, but acting like a normal person.

"Ayame, if you're hungry, I'll make you something." Hatori offered.

"Either one without the other would be nice, thank you."

"I managed to rescue some of the ham sandwiches before Shigure-san got to them with the jam." Yuki offered, passing a plate over to Hatori.

"Thank you." Hatori nodded to him.

"OK, Aaya, give me your hand," Hatori said. Ayame complied, and Hatori guided his hand to where the sandwiches were, and then the tea, then left him to eat by himself while he went to do something with the devastation Shigure had left behind him in the kitchen.

"I'll help." Yuki told him, getting up. He should have remembered the chaos that Shigure had always caused just by walking into the kitchen before Tohru came to live with them.

In the middle of cleaning up the kitchen, Yuki glanced over and saw Ayame sitting with his head bowed, while Shigure talked to him in a low voice.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Yuki asked as Ayame shook his head slowly to whatever Shigure had said.

"I don't know, I'm a little concerned that he's making sure Ayame can hear him, but as long as he's not upsetting him, I don't think I'll worry about it too much. They've been friends a very long time."

"You all have. How do you cope with him?"

"Infinite patience." Hatori informed him dryly. As they watched, Shigure kissed the top of the bowed silver head, and rose, squeezing Ayame's shoulder gently.

"Are you done Yuki? We should be off, I have an editor to prepare more torments for," Shigure said.

"Coming."

Hatori walked them to the door, and waved Yuki ahead to the car as he caught Shigure's arm.

"What were you saying to Ayame?"

"Nothing much, I just wanted to be sure he was all right."

"Don't upset him, Shigure, he can't cope with much more right now."

"It isn't me upsetting him that worries me, Haa-san." Shigure told him darkly.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Never mind, I have to go."

"Wait, Shigure. Is there something I should know about Ayame?"

"Haa-san…….. I can't, I have to go. Take care of him, I'll come over to look after him tomorrow while you're at work." Shigure sighed, walking away.

Hatori watched until the car was lost to sight, then went back inside, he stood in the kitchen doorway for a moment, watching the still, silent figure sitting at the table, his head still down.

"Aaya-chan?"

Ayame jumped, his head snapping round in Hatori's direction.

"So, Tori-san, what now?" Ayame asked with forced cheer.

"We get your hair washed, see if we can get the blood out of it," Hatori said, lightly carding his fingers thought the silky strands.

"Really? Which shampoo did you bring?" Ayame asked brightly.

"I have no idea, Ayame, I picked the stuff up, I didn't post mortem it." Hatori told him, fighting a smile, even though there was no one there who could see it.

tbc


	5. Chapter 5

Hatori sat behind Ayame on the sofa, running a brush through the mass of long silver hair, enjoying the peaceful moment with his old friend. He was pleased that all traces of the blood had come out. Ayame's head fell forward, and Hatori smiled to himself as he realized the snake had fallen asleep. He carded his fingers through the silky lengths, making sure it was dry all the way through, then stood, putting the brush aside and gathering Ayame up in his arms, carrying him through to the bedroom.

After he settled Ayame in the bed he sat and watched him sleeping for a while, wondering about his friend. Ayame was always around, always trying to cheer everyone up, and always talking, but Hatori was slowly realizing that Ayame never really said anything, one of his oldest friends, and he knew virtually nothing about what went on his head anymore. Maybe this would give them a chance to change that.

xx

Shigure sat in his study, staring at his typewriter. He was supposed to be working, but as usual wasn't. Just for a change though, it wasn't a game to wind up his editor, he was worried. He was worried Aaya being with Hatori so much was going to make him say something stupid. He had promised earlier that he wasn't going to say anything to Hatori about his feelings for the Dragon, but spending so much time with him, Shigure was concerned that even Hatori would cotton on. He really wished he could have brought Aaya here to recover, but Kyo wouldn't have put up with it, and even Yuki's guilt about Ayame's injury might not have made him put up with having his brother here full time.

There was a knock at the door, and he looked up.

"Come in."

Yuki slid the door aside and stepped in, looking at Shigure.

"Can I ask you something Shigure-san?"

"What?"

"You were very quiet at dinner. I was wondering if Hatori-san told you something about 'nii-san that he didn't tell me, something bad?"

"No, I promise Yuki-chan, there is nothing more serious than you already know about. I am worried about your brother, but it really isn't anything medical."

"You're worried about his crush on Hatori-san?"

"What?"

"Even I'm not that oblivious, there has to be a reason that he is the only person 'nii-san will obey, aside from the fact he's the only person 'nii-san can hear consistently. He… he looks at Hatori-san as if he's the best thing in the whole world."

"Does it bother you?"

"Not really. How long has he had this crush Gure-san?"

"Since he was younger than you are now."

"God, that's not a crush, that's….."

"Love, yes."

"So why aren't they together?"

"Because Hatori doesn't know, and it should stay that way. He's never going to get past what happened with Kana, and knowing how Aaya-chan feels about him will only drive a wedge into what they have now. At least they are friends."

"That's stupid, he isn't like that. Hatori-san might not love him back, but he wouldn't shut him out for his feelings."

"Ayame can't take that chance, he needs Hatori in his life too much to take the risk."

Yuki shrugged, sighing. Shigure knew his friends better than he did, if he thought it was best to keep Ayame's feelings from Hatori, he couldn't really argue with the idea.

"You're going to sit with onii-san tomorrow, when Hatori-san goes to work. May I come with you?"

"Of course, if you want to. Are you trying to make an effort to get along with him then?"

"It's not as if I can make much of an effort when he can't see or hear me, but, maybe it will make a difference to him to know that I'm there for him."

"Good, then you should get some sleep. We're going to have to leave at 7am to get there before Haa-san goes to work."

"Thank you, I'll make sure I'm up in time."

Yuki left, and Shigure went back to his fretting.


	6. Chapter 6

Hatori hurried into the kitchen, knotting his tie as he walked. Aaya was sitting alone at the table, half heartedly picking at some dry toast. He sat in the chair beside him, lightly catching his hand.

"Ayame-chan, I have to go. Shigure-san and Yuki-chan are going to be here in about half an hour. Do you want me to walk you to the sitting room before I go?"

"I can get there myself."

"OK, be careful how you go, Aaya-chan, mind your footing. I don't want you to fall and hurt yourself."

"Hai, Tori-san."

Hatori went to rise, and then hesitated, sinking back into the chair.

"Are you all right, Aaya? You're very quiet this morning."

"I'm fine, Tori-san."

"No, you're not. I really do have to go right now, but I'll talk to you tonight. Take it easy Aaya." He squeezed the slender wrist lightly and left the younger man alone.

Ayame let his head hang forward, feeling tears threatening. He couldn't stop them falling, dashing them away with one delicate hand. He wasn't sure he was going to be able to stop himself saying something stupid to Hatori while he was here with him, and more to the point, he wasn't sure he wanted to. He couldn't stand this much longer, fighting what he felt for Hatori, knowing he could make the older Juunishi happy if he was just given half a chance. He knew Shigure was only trying to protect him, but it hurt more and more every day.

A hand on his shoulder startled him, and he flinched.

"Gure-san?"

Yuki sighed, wondering at the best way to communicate with Ayame, he knew he shouldn't have come here alone, but Shigure was held up with his editor, and was going to be late. He grasped Ayame's hand, pressing it to the side of his face, and then shook his head.

"Yuki-chan?" Ayame asked, getting the hint.

There was a nod this time, and Ayame smiled faintly, and pulling his hand away to try to brush away the evidence that he had been crying. Yuki wished there was something he could do for his brother, it hurt strangely, to see him so miserable. He had always thought it would be nice to see some of the over-enthusiasm knocked out of his older brother, but seeing him like this was horrible.

"I wish you could hear me." Yuki sighed.

"Yuki-chan, would it be too much trouble for you to find my hair brush? I think Tori-san may have left it in the living room somewhere."

Yuki raised an eyebrow at the thought of Hatori brushing his brother's hair, and then smirked to himself. Shigure didn't think that Hatori could feel the same way for Ayame as Ayame felt for him, but how much more intimate could you get than brushing his hair. He might not realize it himself yet, but Hatori was just as much in love as Ayame was.

Yuki hooked an arm under Ayame's elbow and guided him from the seat, leading him to the sitting room, and handing him his brush. He left Ayame brushing his hair, and went back to the kitchen to clean up the breakfast things.

"Finally escaped my editor," Shigure said cheerfully half an hour later as he let himself in through the kitchen door.

"Where's Aaya-chan?" He asked.

"Window seat in the living room, the sun is quite warm there right now. Before you go in there, I think I'd like to talk to you."

"What about?" Shigure asked taking the cup of tea Yuki handed him as he sat down.

"In a second," Yuki said, taking another cup through to his brother.

When he came back, he took the last cup, sitting down across from Shigure.

"I think you should stop encouraging Ayame to keep his feelings for Hatori-san to himself."

"Yuki-chan, we went over this last night, Hatori-san isn't going to understand."

"That's for them to decide, Shigure-san. Ayame was in tears when I got here this morning, and I don't think it was because of his injuries, considering I had only just seen Hatori-san leave. It's hurting him, Shigure-san, keeping it all bottled up inside, and I think you're blinder than Aaya if you don't think Hatori has feelings for him."

"I've known them a lot longer than you, Yuki-chan."

"That doesn't mean you see everything. Do you know Hatori has been brushing his hair for him? Ayame doesn't need help with that, I've seen him brush and braid his hair in seconds, without going anywhere near a mirror, when he's focused on work. Hatori may not see it himself yet, but he must have felt something for Ayame for years. Even you don't have the patience with him that Hatori-san has, and Hatori-san doesn't show that kind of tolerance for anyone else. He puts up with Ayame's prattle, and his hyperactivity, and his flights of fancy. He grounds him, he settles him, and he gives him a stable anchor."

"He loves him." Shigure finished, stunned.

"Bingo, so please, stop interfering, Shigure-san please let them figure this out for themselves."

"All right, they can sink or swim without me getting in their way. Is he dressed? I thought we could take him for a walk while it's warm."

"Yes, he's dressed."

"Come on then, let's go and drag him out for some air."


	7. Chapter 7

Hatori glanced at his clock and started shutting his computer down as he registered that it was time to go. He was worried about how disconnected Ayame had seemed that morning, and he wanted to talk to him, to find out what was wrong.

He found Momiji hovering in the doorway as he went to leave.

"Are you all right?" He asked the jittery young rabbit.

"Ja. I saw Ayame-san earlier, with Shigure-san and Yuki-san. Is he all right?"

"Why do you ask?"

"He was being guided by Gure-san, he didn't seem to know where to put his feet."

"Did anyone else see them?" Hatori asked, alarmed. The last thing he needed was word getting back to Akito that Ayame was even more vulnerable than normal.

"I don't think so, they were on a path through the woods to the lake."

Hatori breathed a sigh of relief, at least Shigure had had the sense to take him somewhere away from the main house.

"Ayame was hurt, Momiji, he can't see right now, that's why Shigure and Yuki were with him. You mustn't tell anyone what you saw."

"I already told Haru, he told me to ask you. He also said we shouldn't tell anyone."

"Good, thank you."

"So, will Ayame-san be all right?"

"I hope so. Do you need a ride home? I have to get back so that Shigure and Yuki can leave."

"No, thank you. Haru and I are going into town for a burger."

Momiji left, and Hatori quickly headed for home.

xx

Shigure was sitting on the sofa with Ayame when Hatori got in, Yuki having already left to go home. Ayame was curled sleepily into Shigure's side, his head resting on the Dog's shoulder.

"Hello you two, did you have a good day?" He asked, shooting a glare at Shigure, who had the grace to look faintly apologetic. He knew he should have mentioned to Hatori that he intended taking Ayame out of the house.

"Hello Tori-san. We went for a walk to the lake." Ayame said with forced cheer, sitting up.

"That's nice."

"Well, I'd better head for home, make sure Kyo and Yuki aren't wrecking the place again." Shigure said, getting up.

"Thank you. Gure-san. I'll see you tomorrow," Ayame said with a tiny smile. Shigure leaned down and kissed the top of his head lightly.

"Good night, Aaya-chan."

"I can't believe you took him out of the house," Hatori said to his friend in irritation when they reached the front door.

"He can't stay cooped up inside all the time, Haa-san."

"You were seen, Shigure, he was seen."

"What?"

"Momiji caught me before I left work, asked me about him. He told Haru, who sent him to me. What if it had been someone else Shigure? What if you had been seen by someone who would report back to Akito, instead of talking to me? Do you have any idea what Akito could do to him right now, how easy it would be to 'accidentally' kill Ayame?"

"I'm sorry."

"I know. You would never deliberately endanger him, you care about him. You just need to take a little more care right now, take him out of the area completely if you want to take him out of the house."

Shigure nodded and started down the path, then he hesitated, and turned back.

"Yuki arrived before me this morning, he said Aaya was upset."

"I know, I'm going to talk to him tonight, see if I can get him to tell me what's on his mind."

"Haa-san, if he were to say something you maybe didn't like, you wouldn't……" Shigure trailed off, wondering how to say it without saying something Ayame might not want revealing just now.

"I can't imagine there is anything he could say that would make me react badly to him, Shigure. I'll see you tomorrow."

Ayame was still sitting where they had left him when Hatori went back to the sitting room. Hatori sat rested a hand on his shoulder, making him jump a little.

"I'm going to put dinner on, do you want to stay here, or come and keep me company in the kitchen."

"I'll come to the kitchen."

"Ok, and then after we have eaten, I thought that maybe you and I could talk for a while."

"About what?"

"About what was upsetting you this morning."

"I'm not sure you really want to talk about that," Ayame said, tensing slightly.

"Maybe, but I think it is something you _need _to talk about, so I will listen. I care about you Ayame, and I don't like to see you hurting like this."

Ayame managed to reign in the bitter response that nearly escaped him then, telling Hatori that he didn't normally notice how much he was hurting would not make the conversation they were going to be having any easier to have.

Dinner was eaten in silence, Ayame trying to marshal his scattered thoughts, to work out if he really could tell his friend what he had been so determined this morning to tell him, and Hatori leaving him to it.

After dinner, back in the sitting room, Ayame curled up in the window seat, leaning against the chill glass, his head resting back against the wall. He felt the seat shift as Hatori sat on the other end, and shifted so that his bare feet were close enough to feel the heat of the other mans body, without touching him.

"Have you ever wondered, Hatori? Why I try so hard to give romance to everyone around me, while there is no romance in my own life." Ayame asked, his voice soft, distant.

"Its something I've noticed recently, and yes, I have wondered."

"I've been in love with one person, for more than half of my life. I've watched as they drifted away from me, enveloped in studies, and then painted on a smile when they told me they had met someone. Smiled when they told me they planned to marry, cried with them when it didn't happen, watched them freeze in the eternal winter of loneliness, and through all this, they never noticed I was there."

Hatori's head snapped round so he could look at the younger man in the far corner of the window seat, he couldn't be saying…he couldn't mean. Hatori thought back, capturing the memory of telling Shigure and Ayame about meeting Kana, Ayame's smile not quite making it into the golden eyes, and Shigure's worried look at the younger man. The same expressions echoed again, months later, when he told them of his plans to ask permission to marry her.

"Oh God, Ayame." He saw the snake flinch and start to pull away, and without thinking, reached out to catch one slender ankle to stop him.

"Don't. I always knew you were there, Ayame, I just never noticed you had your heart on your sleeve. I must have hurt you so much."

"I could take the pain, anything to be close to you. The thought of losing you hurt more, so I said nothing, tried to be just your friend."

"Aaya, even if I could never be what you wanted me to be, I would never reject you over your feelings, you do know that, right?"

"I wasn't sure. I've been in love with you since I was fourteen Tori, I had no idea what to do about it. There were two people I trusted to ask for advice, and one of them was the source of the problem."

"So Shigure told you to say nothing, and he's been saying it ever since?" Hatori asked. Ayame must have picked up the anger in his voice, and he turned his face toward him.

"Don't be angry at him, please. When it started, he thought it was another one of my flights of fancy, a whim that would pass as quickly as it came. He didn't want me to ruin our friendship over it. Then you met her, and that kind of indicated that you wouldn't feel the same way I did, and after Akito destroyed that relationship, you started to close yourself off. All the time, it seemed better to be there for you as a friend, instead of telling you something that would spoil that."

Hatori's thumb idly moved over the thin ankle as he studied the miserable looking man across from him. He thought about running his fingers through the silk of his hair over the last few days, holding him when he cried, and his own head thudded back against the window frame. He wondered when exactly he had fallen in love with Ayame.

Ayame curled up again when Hatori released his ankle, but when he got up, Hatori didn't walk away. Strong hands gently turned Ayame round, and a light grip on his jaw tilted his head back.

"Shigure was wrong." He said firmly.

Golden eyes widened in shock when Hatori kissed him, then drifted shut as he leaned into the warm body in front of him, tilting his head as he wrapped his arms around Hatori. He felt the tentative brush of a tongue over his lips, and opened his mouth to let it in, allowing Hatori to set the pace.


	8. Chapter 8

Hatori wrapped his arms around the slender body of his soon to be lover as Ayame opened his mouth to his kiss, deepening it as he pulled him closer. His tongue met Ayame's in a sensual tangle. He only broke the exploration of Ayame's mouth as the need to breathe became pressing, looking down at the other man. Ayame's eyes were still closed as he panted lightly, a dazed look on his fine boned face.

"Aaya, are you all right?" He asked his voice slightly hoarse as he tried to catch his own breath. Too hoarse, he realized as Ayame failed to respond to the question.

"Aaya?" He tried again after clearing his throat.

"Tori?" Ayame's voice sounded dazed, dreamy.

"Are you all right?"

"That depends. I'm not going to wake up in the next couple of minutes, am I?"

"You're not dreaming, Ayame."

"Then I am fine, better than I have been in my entire life." Ayame assured him, leaning his head forward to rest on Hatori's shoulder. Hatori pressed his cheek against the crown of his head, content to just hold him close for now, to feel his warmth in his arms.

"I'm sorry I was so dense, Aaya, sorry I kept you waiting so long."

"It was worth the wait."

Hatori couldn't think of anything to say to that, so he simply held Ayame close, stroking his fingers through the long hair.

The phone rang, startling Hatori, who jumped.

"That's the phone, I won't be a minute," he said, gently disengaging from Ayame.

Hatori hurried through to the hallway, picking up the phone.

"Sohma Hatori," he said, wincing as he realized his voice was slightly sharper than normal. The person at the other end of the phone made no comment on that.

"You are required to attend Akito." Was all the man said, and Hatori realized it had to be one of the servants from the main house. He looked out into the gathering darkness with a frown, he couldn't really refuse to go, but he wasn't happy about leaving Ayame alone.

"I will be there directly," he said, knowing he had no choice. The servant didn't wait for anything more, hanging up the telephone and leaving Hatori with a dead line.

"Ayame, I have to go, Akito has summoned me. Will you be all right here alone?" He asked, going back into the room where Ayame waited for him.

"Of course I will."

"Ayame, I'm worried he might demand that I remain on call there tonight. I should really take you to Shigure."

"Do you have time to do that?"

"No." He admitted with a sigh.

"Then go, I will be fine."

Hatori hesitated for a moment more, then leaned forward and captured Ayame's lips in a sweet, tender kiss.

"All right, I'll try to be back soon."

"Ok."

Hatori picked up his bag and left with one last glance at Ayame, who had curled up in the depths of the sofa now, instead of the window seat. He couldn't escape the feeling that leaving Ayame here alone was a bad idea, and then he shook it off, putting it down to over protectiveness from the sudden change in their relationship. He closed the front door and quickly headed for his car, keeping Akito waiting was never wise.

xxx

Hatori followed the silent servant into Akito's chambers, wondering where Kureno could have got to, it was usually he who attended Akito.

Akito was sitting at the open window, looking out into the darkness, his kimono loose, ruffling in the breeze.

"Akito-sama, you should not be at the window like that, it is growing chill out there." He chided, kneeling with his head down. He could not move without permission now.

Akito turned from the window, regarding the Dragon with cold, soulless eyes.

"Hatori-kun. I have heard that the nasty little Snake has not been seen in several days. You would have reported it to me, would you not, if harm had befallen one of my creatures?"

Hatori felt a chill run through his blood, what had Akito heard, and what did he know?

"Ayame received a small injury in an accident in his shop. He is not well enough to work, however the injury is not life threatening. I did not see the need to waste your time with the matter," he said, hoping that would be enough.

Akito moved closer reaching out with one finger to raise Hatori's chin, meeting his eyes.

"I feel you are lying to me, my Dragon."

"Akito-sama?"

"Why would you feel the need to lie to me, hmmm? What are you hiding from me?"

Hatori remained silent, wondering where Akito was going with this.

"Kureno-kun tells me he saw the Snake earlier, with the Dog, and the Rat."

Hatori closed his eyes, he knew that Shigure taking Ayame out of the house would be a mistake.

Akito walked away, returning to his futon, and Hatori opened his eyes again to watch him.

"No doubt you are wondering where Kureno is tonight?"

"I….yes."

"Kureno has gone to see the Snake, to take him for a walk. If his injury is as minor as you claim, he should be able to get home fairly easily alone. If not, well, maybe the next Snake will be an improvement."

"Akito-sama, please……"

"Get out of my sight, now. Be grateful that you at least have some value to this family. GET OUT."

Hatori backed quickly out of the room, not breaking into a run until he had shut the doors between himself and Akito. He couldn't accept it, he was _not _going to lose Ayame now, not when he had just found out how important he was to him.

xxx

Hatori drove just within the speed limit as he headed for home, there was a chance that Kureno wouldn't know where Ayame was. If that were true, then he would have a chance to move him out of harms way, before the Rooster got to him. That hope was dashed when he reached the house, and saw that the front door stood ajar. He forced himself to get out of the car and check anyway, there was always the chance that Ayame himself may have unlatched the door for some reason. Running into the house, he turned for the room where he had left Ayame sitting, and found an overturned table and a shattered lamp. Ayame had put up a fight, but had obviously been no match for Kureno. He just hoped he hadn't been hurt too badly in the struggle.

Slamming the front door closed, he hurried back to the car, pulling out of the driveway quickly and not minding the speed limit at all this time as he headed for his next destination.

xxx

Shigure opened the door as whoever was on the other side of it pounded for a second time, rattling the door in its frame.

"What?" He demanded, then he saw who stood there.

"Haa-san?" He gasped. His friend was breathless, disheveled and pale. He was also shaking.

"He took him, Kureno took him." He blurted.

"Who?" Shigure asked blankly.

"Aaya. Akito summoned me, Kureno saw you earlier with Ayame, while I was with Akito, he said he had sent Kureno to take Ayame for a walk. He's gone, Shigure."

The others had gathered in the hallway by this time, and Yuki stepped forward as Kyo stayed back with Tohru.

"What's going on?" Yuki asked.

"Akito sent Kureno after your brother, We have to find him, it's too cold out there for Aaya," Shigure said.

"I'll get my jacket, and call Haru, he'll help us look," Yuki said decisively.

Kyo grabbed Yuki's arm as he passed, and after a hurried conference, they both ran up the stairs. Tohru headed for the older men.

"Kyo-kun is going to help too. What can I do?"

"Stay here, there's a slim chance that Aaya might be able to make it here, if we all have our cell phones, we can use this as a check in point, if one of us finds him, you can call the searchers off," Hatori said, calmer now that action was being taken to find Ayame.

"We're ready. Haru say's he'll drop Momiji over at your place in case 'nii-san is able to get back there," Yuki said, checking the charge on his phone as he and Kyo came back down the stairs.

"Right, we'll meet Haru at my place then, and get organized," Hatori said.

"I'll start checking the forest at the back of the house here. It strikes me that Akito is warped enough to tell Kureno to leave Ayame close to safety, if it's unlikely he'll be able to reach it. That would be the ultimate spite, if he died under our noses," Kyo said.

"You're right, thank you, Kyo-kun."

Kyo headed off for the back door, and the others headed for Hatori's car.

tbc

Will the evil Akito manage to take another loved one from Hatori? Will anyone find Ayame in time? Stay tuned.


	9. Chapter 9

Hatori pulled the car up outside his house once more, and he, Shigure and Yuki piled out to join Haru and Momiji, who were waiting on the porch.

"Momiji is going to wait here, what do you want me to do?" Haru asked bluntly.

"Kyo-kun is searching the area around Shigure's house, if you take the area around here, the rest of us will cover the rest of the area. Hopefully, Kureno won't have taken him too far, he wouldn't want to leave Akito unattended for too long."

"Right." Haru nodded and vanished off into the darkness as Hatori let Momiji into the house.

"I'll take the woods around the lake, which should be far enough from where Kyo-kun is for me to summon all the stray dogs in the area, just incase he's using the cats." Shigure offered.

"Thanks. Yuki-kun, will you take the area around the school?"

"Sure."

"Thank you and I'll head over toward the Dojo."

"Right."

They all headed off in their assigned directions, all hoping that Ayame would be found soon. The chill in the air would soon put the Snake out of commission.

xxx

Kyo moved through the woods, his bright torch cutting through the darkness as he walked in a loose spiral, covering as much ground as he could. He had thought about summoning the cats to help him search, but an image of one of the feral strays finding Ayame in his snake form, and killing him had quickly changed his mind. Much as he occasionally wanted to see the irritating man gone, the thought of Hatori's obvious distress, and the fact that Yuki was trying to get along with his brother made him rethink the idea.

He hoped Ayame had been dressed in one of his usual brightly colored outfits, it would make it a lot easier to see in the torchlight, and he thought for a moment about calling Hatori and asking him, but in that moment, his torch flashed over a bundle of red cloth. Swinging the beam back again, he relocated the bundle and hurried over to it, watching where he put his feet carefully. Kneeling beside the bundle, he started to gently search through it, wanting to avoid startling Ayame if he was there, he had never got a satisfactory answer on whether or not Ayame's snake form was venomous, and he didn't fancy finding out by being bitten. His fingers brushed scales and he resisted jerking back, instead getting a cautious grip on the cold snake.

The sinuous body was completely limp in his grip, and he wondered how the hell you were supposed to check if a snake was alive or not.

xxx

Hatori jumped, dropping his torch as his cell phone rang and he scrabbled awkwardly in his pocket to pull it out.

"Kyo-kun?" He asked as he answered it, the name having come up on the screen.

"Hatori-san. How do you check if a snake is alive?" Kyo asked, he sounded breathless, and Hatori thought he might be running.

"You have him?"

"Yes, but he's totally limp, he isn't moving at all."

"Where are you?"

"Heading for your house, I'm on Sakura Lane."

"I'll meet you there, if he's gone into hibernation, it will be virtually impossible to check if he's alive on the run like that. I'll call Tohru-san and have her call the others in."

"Hai."

The line went dead, Kyo had obviously hung up to focus on his running, so Hatori quickly called Shigure's home number.

"Sohma house, Tohru Honda speaking."

"Tohru-san, it's Hatori, could you call Haru, Shigure and Yuki, and direct them to my house, Kyo-kun has Ayame, but it sounds like he might be in a bad way."

"Of course, Hatori-san. I will do that at once."

"Thank you."

They both hung up, and Hatori started to run back to the Dojo, where he had left his car.

xxx

Kyo had reached the house first, and he and Momiji were in the kitchen when Hatori got there. He was pleased to see that Momiji had taken control, and set about starting to warm the snake up, wrapping him in towels on top of a warm hot water bottle, not hot enough to kill Ayame with a shock to the system, but warm enough to start raising the temperature around him.

"We still don't know if he's alive, but I thought we should start warming him anyway," Momiji said, looking up with frightened eyes.

Hatori nodded, and peeled back the towels a little, just enough to see if the small body was taking on warmth. He was relieved to feel the tiniest flutter under his fingers as the snake twitched a little, the warmth starting to revive him.

"You did well, both of you, he's alive, and warming up. The others should be back here soon, tell them that he's hanging on. I'm taking him to my room to work on him."

"Hai, Hatori-san." They chorused.

Hatori gathered up the warm bundle, slipping from the room.

In the bedroom, he removed the towels, and laid the hot water bottle on the mattress, the snake curled up on top of it, then carefully piled blankets on top of that, observing the very fine line between suffocating the unconscious snake, and making sure he was warm enough. Once he was done, he pulled up a chair beside the low bed, and sat down to wait.

He had only been sitting there a few minutes when the bedroom door slid open, and footsteps crossed the room.

"I'm the first one back, how is he?" Shigure asked.

"He hasn't changed back yet, but he is getting warmer. He might not be happy for a while, but I think he'll be ok, in the end."

"Thank heavens for that. Akito went too far this time, Hatori."

"Yes, but there is nothing we can do about it, is there. I can't risk turning any more attention onto Aaya right now, Akito might not give us a chance to find him the next time."

Shigure hesitated, then crouched beside the chair where Hatori was sitting.

"Haa-san, I hope you don't mind me saying, but I have never seen you quite this shaken up. What's going on?"

"You answer me a question first, 'Gure. Why did you tell him never to tell me how he felt about me?"

"He was so young, so fickle and flighty, when he first mentioned it. I didn't want the friendship we all shared ruined when his attention flittered off to something else. When he got older, and the feelings stayed, you had already met Kana, and it wouldn't have been appropriate for him to say anything to you. Besides, that indicated you were straight, Haa-san. There was no indication you would return his feelings, and he needed you too much as a friend to risk driving you away from him."

"So instead I, we, spent years making him hurt, 'Gure. How is that any better?"

"I'm sorry, it seemed like the best course of action at the time. He told you then?"

"This evening, yes." Hatori nodded, his fingers absently brushing over his lips.

"You kissed him?" Shigure asked in shock.

"I love him."

Shigure's jaw dropped open in shock at the calm, blunt statement. He hadn't expected things to change so fast between the two even if Aaya did find the courage to speak, Hatori caught the expression and smiled faintly.

"'Gure-san, in the last few days, he has been almost killed, twice. We wasted so much time before that. I'm not willing to waste any more time. He means too much to me, even if I did need a kick in the ass to see it myself."

There was a puff of purple smoke, and a soft bang, and Ayame's shape filled out under the layers of blankets. Hatori dived over to the bed, the conversation forgotten as he slipped into doctor mode.

Pulling back the covers just enough to search out a pulse, he found it thready, erratic. Akito really had come far too close to killing one of the juunishi this time. Ayame's skin was still chilly to the touch, and he was still unconscious.

"Shigure, he needs more heat. There should be another hot water bottle in the cupboard in the bathroom, and this one needs heating up." Hatori ordered, slipping the bottle out from under Ayame's back.

"Right." Shigure took the bottle and darted out of the room to carry out his orders.

Hatori piled more blankets on top of Ayame, before lightly brushing a hand over his forehead.

"Hang on for me, Aaya-chan. I'm not ready to lose you, not after I just figured out what you meant to me." He whispered. Leaning forward, he pressed a tender kiss to the chill, clammy skin of his forehead.

tbc


	10. Chapter 10

Hatori looked up as someone else came into the room, too soon to be Shigure back from his task.

"Yuki-kun," he said tiredly.

"Hatori-san. Is he going to be all right?" Yuki asked, drifting over to look at the still form in the bed.

"I don't know, I wish I did," Hatori said honestly. There was no way he was going to lie to the boy on this, Ayame wasn't out of danger, and there was still a chance that he might die.

"Momiji told Haru that Kyo found nii-san?"

"Yes."

"I owe him for that then. He was right about Akito being spiteful enough to leave nii-san to die within reach of safety too. We have to do something, he's getting worse. He's always been cruel and vengeful before, but he's never actually tried to kill one of us."

"What do you suggest we do Yuki-kun, kill him? All that would do is trigger the birth of his replacement, and leave whoever he chose to rule in his place to exact vengeance on his murderer."

"There has to be a way Hatori-san, there has to."

"And if we attack him and fail, his punishment will be to target the more defenseless among us, Momiji, Aaya, Rin, Ritsu, Kisa, maybe even Tohru-san. Are you so sure we have to do something now?" Hatori spat bitterly.

"You….you've thought about it then?" Yuki stuttered.

"Every time I think about how he took my eye, and how cruel he is, even to his 'favorites', how vicious he has always been to Ayame, who did little to deserve Akito's loathing, or his parent's rejecti………." Hatori stopped mid word, shocked that he had forgotten for that one careless moment who he was talking to, horrified at what he had just let slip.

"What do you mean, Hatori-san?" Yuki demanded.

"I shouldn't have said that, I can't……"

"I'll tell him, he should know, and Ayame will never be able to say it, he barely talks to us about his childhood anymore, let alone anyone else," Shigure said, making them both jump, neither of them had noticed him slipping back into the room in the heat of their discussion. He handed Hatori the hot water bottles, and watched as he tenderly settled the snake, before leading Yuki out of the room, looking for somewhere private to have this conversation.

They ended up grabbing their jackets and going out to the summer house in the garden to make sure none of the others would hear what they were talking about. Shigure waved Yuki to one of the benches, and took the one across from him himself, clasping his hands and looking down at the dark floor.

"Hatori-san said, or started to say, that our parents rejected nii-san. Is that true?"

"Yes. They were horrified, disgusted, that they had the snake from the zodiac. He was shunted between nurses and nannies, never having one in his life for more than a few months as they were fired every time your parents caught them showing Aaya any affection at all. They hated him, really hated him, and they made sure he knew it. He was never diagnosed as being deaf, because they denied him interaction so much, everyone just assumed he was quiet, withdrawn, or worse one suggestion was retarded or possibly even autistic. Of course, they didn't see any of this as their fault, it was just another reason for them to reject him, not only the snake, but 'abnormal' too."

Yuki was stunned at the pure bitterness and loathing in the normally cheerful mans tone. He had never heard that much hatred in anyone's voice before now.

"So what happened, because none of those terms could be applied to him now?"

"When your mother went into labor with you, they had just fired their latest nanny, so he ended up being shunted off to Haa-san's home. I was there when Haa-san's mother brought him in, God; he was tiny and so timid, all white hair, pale skin, and huge, terrified golden eyes. He's only eight months younger than me, ten younger than Haa-san, but seeing him that day you would have thought he was a couple of years younger."

Shigure fell silent for a moment, looking down at his clasped hands, thinking back to that day when they had first met Ayame. Yuki remained silent, waiting for him to resume his story.

"He hid in the corner of Haa-san's bedroom, too scared to look at us, not paying us any attention when we spoke to him, or so we thought. I was all ready to pull him out of the corner and tell him not to be such a brat, but Hatori has always been a more gentle soul than me, probably why he ended up in medicine. He knelt there for ten minutes, talking to him so quietly and gently, trying to coax him out, nothing. It wasn't until Hatori actually touched him that he looked up. It took less than twenty minutes for Hatori to figure out that Aaya couldn't hear him, twenty minutes to figure out something that no one had seen, or maybe bothered to see, for ten years. I don't know how he did it, but Hatori saw something in Ayame, he decided we were going to teach him to talk, I decided that if we were going to do that, we were going to be his friends."

Hatori stepped into the summer house, dropping tiredly into the seat beside Shigure, he saw the alarm in their eyes, and shook his head.

"He's ok, Haru is watching him, I needed a smoke," Hatori said, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. He took a deep drag, and then glanced between Shigure and Yuki.

"It was his eyes, I had heard all the things the adults said, slow, stupid, retarded, autistic, whatever, but I looked into his eyes that day and saw just how bright he really is."

He saw them both looking at him as if he had gone mad, and shook his head.

"You of all people should know better Shigure, he did go to University, remember?"

"Yes, to study fashion design, and art."

Now it was Hatori's turn to look floored, as he stared at his old friend.

"He didn't tell you? I can't believe he didn't tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"He took Literature and Mathematics too, he got his Masters in design and art, yes, but he got PhD's in the other two as well. I cannot believe he didn't tell you."

"Actually, I can. He wasn't in love with Shigure-san, he wanted to give you something no one else had, he passed them for himself, to prove he could, but knowing about them was a gift for you," Yuki said quietly, understanding something else about his brother that he never had before. A need to prove himself, coupled with a generosity to those he cared about. It was much the same as the way he was trying to make amends to him, only less ass about face than he was going about it now.

"That does actually make sense, in a roundabout kind of way," Hatori acknowledged.

"But that still doesn't explain how he went from being timid and terrified to, well, Ayame."

"You're not going to like it." Shigure warned.

"I haven't liked a lot of it so far. Just tell me."

"We brought Ayame out of his shell, Haa-san and I, we were the first friends he ever had, and while we were teaching him to talk, and to read lips, we would sneak him out of the house. In hindsight, it was less sneaking, and more your parents not caring that we were taking him. He was out of their hair, and with Hatori proving that he wasn't stupid, by teaching him to talk; they could pack him off to school too, even better in their book. It all got much easier for him when Haa-san's voice broke of course, because then there was someone he could hear. It did mean though that Ayame got even less attention from them than he ever had before, at least previously they had yelled at him sometimes, even if he couldn't hear them, he knew he had their attention. He could see them showering all the love they had denied him on you, their ticket back into the God's good graces after the shame of bearing the snake. He got loud, and over the top and flamboyant in an effort to get some attention. It didn't work with your parents of course, but he got attention, so the façade stuck. He'll never change now, and to be honest, I don't think I want him too, I like our Aaya the way he is."

"No wonder he hated me," Yuki said miserably, feeling tears pricking his eyes.

"Yuki-kun, he never, ever hated you. Envied, yes, resented, a little maybe, but never hated. He knew you had no more say in being born than he did. He was indifferent, that's all. He was indifferent to you, to your parent's actions, to what people might think about the way he dressed, the way he acted. It was a shield, and while it defended him from them, it also kept him shut off, only Shigure and I got to see behind it then, and of course his relationship with you suffered. All you wanted was your big brother's attention, but by then, he just wasn't capable of giving it to you. He's trying so hard to let you in now, but he can't be anyone other than who he is. He may calm down a little once he understands he has your attention, but that's the best you're going to get," Hatori said, finishing his cigarette.

"That's…….ok, actually. I'm getting to understand more about him than I ever thought I would, or really thought I cared to. Maybe we will be able to work something out. I doubt I can ever be as close to him as you two have always been, but I'm willing to work on it now."

Momiji ran out into the garden, looking petrified, and saw the three of them in the summerhouse.

"Hatori-san, he's awake, but he's hysterical, Haru-kun can't calm him down."

Hatori took off at a run without another word, leaving Shigure and Yuki alone once more, tense, nervous fear leaving silence between them, neither having any idea what could be wrong with Ayame now.

tbc


	11. Chapter 11

Hatori barreled into the bedroom, seeing Haru trying to pin a hysterical and violently struggling Ayame to the mattress. Hatori immediately realized what part of the problem was.

"Haru-kun, stop holding him down," he barked firmly.

Haru jumped back as if scalded, leaving Ayame free to scramble off the low bed. Hatori caught him as soon as he was upright, feeling Ayame's knees give way even as he tried to struggle free of the light embrace.

"Aaya, stop it, it's me," he said, close to the younger man's ear.

Ayame tensed briefly, then stilled, allowing Hatori to take his weight.

"Tori?" he whimpered, his voice hoarse.

"Yes, it's me. Easy koi, I'm going to put you back in the bed."

"Someone grabbed me, Tori, I couldn't get away, and I was so cold," Ayame gasped as he was lowered gently back to the mattress.

"I know, but we have you now, you're safe now," Hatori said, pulling the covers back up, and getting a good look at Ayame.

His normally pale face was flushed, and tendrils of hair were stuck to his forehead and cheek with perspiration. Hatori gently brushed the hair away, feeling the heat in his skin. He hoped it was just the struggle against Haru that was making him feel so over heated, but the fact that his breathing wasn't calming yet made him doubt it. Hatori deliberately pitched his voice out of Ayame's hearing range as he spoke to Haru.

"How long was he struggling, before I came in?"

"Not long, he freaked pretty much as soon as he woke up, you were in the room in under a minute. He was already too hot when I pinned him down,"

"All right, can you two give me a few minutes; I need to check him over. Can you stop Shigure and Yuki coming in too?" he asked.

"Of course," Haru said as he ushered Momiji from the room.

Hatori grabbed his thermometer and stethoscope, moving over to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Aaya, I'm going to check you over now, just take it easy for me. Ok?"

Ayame nodded faintly, and Hatori slipped a cover onto the thermometer, pressing it into Ayame's ear. The snake flinched slightly, but lay still, allowing Hatori to check his temperature. The gadget bleeped softly to indicate it was done, and Hatori pulled it back, frowning at the reading, it was up, sitting at just under 100ºF. He was concerned by how fast his temperature had come up; Ayame had still been rather cool when he had gone outside. Putting his stethoscope on, he peeled back the blankets enough to slide the end inside Ayame's night shirt.

"Breathe in," he ordered gently.

Ayame obeyed, coughing slightly as he tried to hold the breath.

"And out."

Ayame let the breath go, coughing harder this time, and Hatori rubbed the thin chest soothingly until the cough eased off.

xxx

The others had migrated to the kitchen when Hatori came out of Ayame's room, sitting around the table with mugs of tea.

"How is he?" Yuki asked.

Hatori guided him out of the room, not really bothered when Shigure quietly followed. He already knew about Aaya's health issues.

"He's showing the first signs of an RTI. I've put the temperature in the room up, and given him a hefty dose of antibiotics. I'm hoping we can stop this in its tracks. The last thing we need is an asthma flare up, given the fact he very rarely remembers to pick his inhalers up at the best of times."

"Nii-chan doesn't have asthma does he?" Yuki asked with a frown.

"Not the way you do, no. He only has problems after suffering from severe colds, flu, or chest infections. He is a total brat about remembering to carry his inhalers though," Hatori sighed.

"But you think you've caught it in time?" Shigure asked.

"I'm hoping. The speed the fever and breathing problems came on worries me, what he's been through the last few days could have given his immune system a battering. He really could have done without the stress of Kureno abducting him and dumping him in the cold."

"This is all my fault," Yuki groaned, slumping onto the arm of the sofa.

"This isn't your fault," Shigure objected.

"Yes it is, if I hadn't startled him, made him fall from the ladder, none of this would be happening."

"Yuki, he was FINE, up until Akito decided to stick his oar in, he was perfectly safe and healthy aside from the blindness. This is Akito's fault, or possibly mine for being stupid enough to take him out of the house, but not yours," Shigure said firmly.

"I'd stick with blaming Akito, personally. If he weren't so spiteful and vengeful, nothing else would have mattered. Ayame is sleeping now, and I'd rather he stay asleep till morning. You should all go home, get some sleep. I'd appreciate it if you could both come tomorrow and watch over him while I'm working though. Shigure, if you would take my car, and drop the others off, you can bring it back in the morning."

"Of course, Haa-san," Shigure said.

As soon as the others were gone, Hatori went round doing a more thorough security check than he ever had before, ensuring that every door and window was locked. As soon as he was done, he went through to Ayame's room, turning off all the lights as he went. He left the low light in the corner of the room on so he could see if Ayame had any problems during the night, then stretched out on a bedroll beside the futon, settling into a light sleep.

xxx

Akito reclined on his bed, waiting for Kureno to come back. A light tap on the door signaled the arrival of his servant.

"Come," he called.

Kureno entered, shutting the door behind him and falling down on one knee, bowing his head.

"It's late, Kureno, come here," Akito sighed.

Kureno rose, removing his clothes and folding them neatly over a chair in the corner of the room before joining Akito in the bed, lying still to wait for Akito to decide what he wished for.

"The snake?" Akito questioned, one hand drifting lightly down Kureno's chest.

"He lives. He was found by the cat, and returned to the dragon."

"Who else assisted them?"

"The rabbit, the dog, the cow, and the rat, as well, I believe, the female."

"The normal? Honda?"

"Hai,"

"Hmm, I will have to figure a delicious way to discipline them for interfering in my will. Although, it is perhaps for the best that the snake lived, the bothersome chaos that surrounds the birth of new juunishi gives me a headache, women wailing about the curse falling on their children."

"I believe the snake and the dragon are very close to forming a relationship," Kureno said, and then winced, wishing he had waited until Akito's hand was elsewhere before imparting that bit of news as his grip tightened on Kureno's manhood.

"Are you certain?"

"His concern when he returned to find the snake missing was more than that of a friend or doctor. It was the fear of someone missing something important."

Kureno was shocked when Akito chuckled darkly, flopping back on the bed. He propped up on one elbow, looking down at his master.

"Akito-sama?"

"The First Alliance," was all Akito said.

"I…I don't understand," Kureno said.

"Nor should you," Akito growled, slapping his hand down on the light switch and plunging the room into darkness. He didn't want to think about the First Alliance tonight. Grabbing the tube from under the pillow, he yanked the cap off, and started to roughly prepare the rooster.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Spoilers/Warnings: hints at Manga 17

/x/x/x/x/x/x/x/x/x/x/x/x/x/

Hatori looked up when he heard someone shifting uncomfortably in the doorway to his office, and his face hardened at the sight of Kureno standing there.

"Yes?" he asked curtly.

"Akito-sama wants to know the condition of his Snake," he said.

"_His _Snake is ill, so you can consider your job well done, even if you didn't manage to kill him, this time," Hatori said coldly.

"I'm sorry, I cannot disobey him though. When you say ill, how ill?"

"He has a fever, and a chest infection is starting to set in, so his asthma will more than likely flare up. Will that satisfy his vengeful soul for a while, or should we expect another attack?" he asked.

"He seems to be focused on something else at the moment, he knows you and Ayame are together now, and he's obsessing over 'the first alliance', whatever that is," Kureno sighed.

"What makes him think that Ayame and I are together?" Hatori asked, his blood running cold.

"Don't take me for an idiot, Hatori, I could see your worry for him when you tore off to Shigure's house, and I know he's been in love with you since he was a boy. I told Akito-sama you were together, because you are," Kureno said in annoyance.

"And he didn't immediately send you back to hurt Aaya again? He must be slipping," Hatori snorted bitterly.

"I told you, he started obsessing about this first alliance, all he wanted to know about Ayame is his condition, for the moment. I should get back to him," he said, turning away.

"Damn it Kureno, why do you stay with him, continue to do his will? You of all of us have what the rest of us want, and still you stay," Hatori asked angrily. The rest of them would probably run far and fast, if they had been granted the gift Kureno had, and he was still here.

"Because I promised, because I have no choice, because I love him," Kureno answered softly, keeping his back to Hatori.

"Does he love you?" Hatori asked.

"No, but that doesn't matter, I will take what I can get, and at least I have more from him than Ayame got from you before now, at least I know where I stand with Akito-sama," Kureno said cruelly, walking away.

Hatori slumped back in his chair, feeling a shard of ice twist in his heart at the reminder of how callous he had been to Ayame's feelings for so long. He didn't deserve the vibrant, caring, loving, beautiful young man, and he knew it.

"He doesn't know what he's talking about," the soft voice from the doorway made him jump, and he looked up, surprised to see Honda-san there.

"I'm sorry?"

"You never led Ayame-san on, he always knew where he stood in your eyes, even if it wasn't where he wanted to stand, and now he has you, and you have him, and when he's well again, you will still have each other, and Kureno will still be where he is, in the shadow of someone who will take the love he offers without giving anything in return. I wish someone would care about me the way Ayame-san cares about you," she said quietly.

He thought about the Cat and the Rat, who had both been competing to spend time with her, and smiled faintly, a tiny, wry quirk of his lips.

"That may be closer than you think, Honda-san. Did you need something?" he asked.

"Oh, yes. Shigure-san asked me to come, and bring you some lunch, as you had not eaten breakfast and didn't bring anything with you," she said, holding up the small basket he realized she was carrying.

"Oh, that's very kind of you, Honda-san. You didn't need to trouble yourself," he said, surprised.

"It was no trouble. I also wanted to know if there was anything I could bring for Ayame-san, soup or anything?" she offered.

"No, really, that's too much trouble, and he's not really up to eating much at the moment."

"But he still should have something. I will make a light broth tonight, and Shigure-san and Yuki-kun can bring it over for him tomorrow when they come," she said decisively, placing the basket on the desk and bouncing out of the door, already working out what ingredients she would need to pick up on her way home to make a nice nutritious broth.

Hatori watched her go silently, thinking about what she had said when she arrived, and the depression that Kureno's cruel parting words had left lifted a little. She was right, he may not have been what Ayame wanted him to be for a long time, but he had never been wantonly cruel the way Akito so frequently was to Kureno. It was unlikely to be a fairy tale romance between himself and Aaya, but they were both in it together now, and as long as they remembered that, they could face their problems.

"Thank you, Honda-san," he whispered to the empty room, and hoped that Yuki or Kyo sorted themselves out before someone else snuck in and snatched her from under their noses, whichever one of them she ended up with, she would be good for them.

/x/

Shigure was sitting on the sofa, reading one of the few fiction books Hatori owned when he returned home that evening.

"Where's Yuki?" he asked.

"He had to go, he got a call from Haru about a homework problem that has to be handed in on Monday, and realized he hadn't even started. He'll bring it with him tomorrow, but for today, he had to make a start."

"And how has Aaya been?"

"He's still too hot, we got him to drink as many fluids as we could during the times he was awake, but I don't know if it was enough. He's still kind of dehydrated, I think, he only asked to go to the bathroom once all day. His breathing is starting to sound a little wheezy too. I called your office, but the phone rang out, so you must already have been on your way home."

"I brought some IV fluids home with me, I'll get him hooked up now, and that should help with his dehydration. I'll check him over, and if his breathing is that worrying, I'll ask you to stay a little longer while I run to the hospital and borrow a nebulizer and some oxygen," he said, picking his bag back up and walking through to the bedroom.

He could feel Shigure hovering in the doorway as he knelt at the side of the bed and picked up one thin wrist to check Ayame's pulse, but he ignored him, counting off the heartbeats against the sweep of the second hand on his watch. Ayame stirred at the feeling of cooler fingers against his heated skin, and golden eyes, now dimmed with fatigue and fever fluttered open.

"Tori-kun, don't frown, you'll get wrinkles," he wheezed before his eyes dropped shut once more, the sheer exhaustion pulling him under again.

tbc


	13. Chapter 13

"Did he see you?" Shigure asked, startled.

"It looks like it, I'll have to wait until he's more alert to check his eyesight properly," he said, pressing the back of his fingers lightly to the side of Aaya's face, feeling the heat he was still radiating.

"His temperature doesn't seem to be coming down at all, I think I might need to try him on another antibiotic too," he sighed, putting his thermometer in place as he listened to Ayame's chest, frowning at the congested sound of his breathing.

The thermometer bleeped quietly, and he checked the temperature it showed, sighing deeply as he realized it was actually up a little.

"Come on Aaya, fight back, I really don't want to have to take you back to the hospital," he said softly.

He ripped the sterile packaging off the IV line and connected it to the Saline bag, hanging it from a hook in the wall that usually held a picture, before deftly slipping the needle into Ayame's arm, taping it in place.

"'Gure, stay with him, please, make sure he doesn't yank the IV if he wakes up again, I'll be back as soon as I can," he said.

"Of course," Shigure nodded, coming over to take his place at the side of the bed.

Hatori grabbed a spare prescription pad from the drawer in his study, and hurried off to the hospital.

Shigure took Ayame's limp hand in his, stroking his wrist gently.

"Come on Aaya-chan, you're worrying him, you don't want to do that after you finally got him to love you back do you?" he sighed.

/x/

Yuki looked up from his homework when Shigure came home later.

"You're late, Honda-san saved you some dinner," he said.

"I had to wait with Aaya while Hatori ran to the hospital to pick some things up," he replied.

"Is 'nii-san worse," Yuki asked, alarmed.

"So-so, he needed to change the antibiotics and get something to help his breathing. If he were that worried, he would have taken Aaya back to the hospital," he pointed out.

"I suppose so, Honda-san is still in the kitchen, she's making something for us to take tomorrow for 'nii-san," he said.

Shigure nodded and went to the kitchen, seeing Tohru standing at the counter chopping vegetables into fine chunks.

"Oh, Shigure-san, you're back, I'll just get your dinner out of the oven," she said, making to put the knife she was using down.

"That's fine, Honda-san, you're busy. I can get it out," he said, picking up the oven gloves and taking the plate that was warming in the oven out.

"Is Ayame-san feeling any better?" she asked.

"Not really, but I'm sure what you're making him will help him feel a lot better," he smiled.

"I hope so," she said, going back to her chopping.

/x/

Hatori woke with a start as light started to filter into the bedroom, and realized that Ayame had been watching him sleep, his golden eyes still tired and a little hazy, but clearly watching him over the rim of the oxygen mask.

"Hey, you with us now?" he asked running his fingers over Aaya's forehead, smiling. He was still warm, but he felt cooler than he had done, the new antibiotic seemed to be working.

Ayame's hand lifted toward the mask, obviously intending to remove it, and Hatori gently but firmly stopped him.

"You need to keep that on, ok?"

Ayame frowned, but he nodded fractionally, allowing Hatori to press his hand back down.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice muffled and still slightly breathless, but understandable.

"You have a chest infection, you've had a rough couple of days, but you're on the mend now. I got your inhalers for you, they're here, if you have trouble breathing even with the oxygen on," he said, pointing to the cabinet at the head of the bed.

"Ok. I can see you again," he said, reaching weakly to touch Hatori's face.

"Yeah, your head injury is getting better too. I'll check you over before Shigure and Yuki come," he said, stroking through the long white hair gently.

"Ok," he nodded.

Hatori checked him over, and then returned to his perch at the side of the bed, curling his fingers around Ayame's lightly.

"Ok, you're doing a little better. Your temperature is down to just under 100 again, but your breathing is still quite forced. I want you to stay in this bed today, sleep as much as you can, eat something, and drink plenty of water. I'm going to leave the IV in anyway, if you need to get up to use the bathroom, you _will _ask 'Gure for help. Clear?"

"Hai," Ayame said, smiling faintly.

"You do ok today, and I'll see about letting you up tomorrow," he said, leaning down to kiss his forehead lightly.

"Aw, that is so sweet," an amused voice came from the doorway.

Hatori looked back over his shoulder and glared at Shigure.

"Shut up," he said bluntly.

"You wound me," Shigure said, sailing across the room and nudging him aside to fawn over Ayame.

"Don't tempt me," Hatori muttered, shooting him another glare, but Shigure wasn't paying the slightest attention.

"My, Aaya-chan, you're starting to look more like your normal, radiant self," he said over dramatically, clutching one pale hand to his chest.

Ayame looked at him in amusement, seeing Hatori roll his eyes as he left the room, he whapped Shigure lightly on the head.

"Bad doggy," he snorted, coughing slightly.

Shigure's eyes went serious suddenly, and he looked down at him.

"He told me that he had kissed you," he said.

One fine eyebrow raised, but Ayame said nothing to that, waiting to see where his old friend was going with this.

"He had better treat you right, Aaya; I don't want him to hurt you any more."

"'Gure, he has never deliberately hurt me, and I don't think he ever will, we'll work it out together," Ayame sighed.

"I guess, as long as you're happy Aaya."

"I am."

/x/

Hatori moved quietly away from the bedroom doorway, not sure how he felt about Shigure still wanting to protect Ayame from him. Walking into the kitchen, he saw Yuki putting a covered container in the fridge.

"Honda-san made 'nii-san some broth, like she promised, is he up to eating it?" he asked.

"Yes, he's doing a lot better today. I'll give you the instructions, I trust you to take them more seriously. He's confined to bed still, he isn't to get up at all without help, he can eat the broth, he must drink plenty of water, he can't take the oxygen mask off, except to eat and drink and he mustn't pull the IV out, he knows where his inhalers are if he needs them. His sight is coming back, so if he is bored he can have a magazine to look at, but don't give him a book, until his sight is fully back to normal, it will only give him a headache to try to focus down on the small print," he said.

"He…he can see again?"

"Yes, I would have thought Shigure would have mentioned that last night, that we thought his sight was coming back."

"He didn't say a thing. Don't worry; I'll make sure he does as he's told," Yuki nodded.

"Good, thanks. I have to get ready for work,"

"All right, I'll make him some breakfast, is cereal ok for him?"

"That's fine," Hatori nodded, leaving the room again.

Yuki put together a tray with cereal, milk and a glass of water, and taking a deep breath, he went to face his brother. Now that he _could _speak to him again, what was he going to say?

tbc


	14. Chapter 14

Shigure was still sitting on the side of the futon, holding Aaya's hand between his palms when Yuki carried the tray in.

"I brought breakfast," he said uncomfortably, holding the tray up slightly.

"Thank you," Ayame said, looking equally uncomfortable, his eyes dropping to the side.

Shigure sighed, and shook his head slightly; the two of them were hopeless, really.

"Come on, you need to sit up," he said to Ayame, gently pulling Ayame up, and propping the pillows against the wall at the head of the futon, leaning the snake back against them.

Ayame kept his head down as Yuki came over and set the tray in his lap, not meeting his younger brother's eyes.

"I…I need to talk to him, Shigure-san," Yuki said shifting on his feet edgily.

"Aaya," Shigure said, grasping one thin wrist lightly until the golden eyes reluctantly came up to meet his.

"Yuki-kun needs to talk to you, after you've eaten your breakfast, so he's going to stay with you while you eat. I'll be in the living room, ok?"

"Gure…" the snake looked almost panic stricken at the idea.

"It's all right, he really does want to talk to you, I promise," Shigure said.

The dog stood up and shot Yuki a clear warning look as he passed him, heading out of the room. Yuki didn't need any translation for that look, 'don't upset him' was loud and clear.

Ayame took the oxygen mask off, and slowly began to eat the cereal he had been given, still not looking at his younger brother. Yuki sat down beside the bed and hesitantly reached out to rest a hand on one thin shoulder. Ayame looked at him, shocked, and Yuki forced a smile.

"It's going to be all right, 'nii-san," he said.

Ayame half smiled in response, and turned his attention back to the tray on his lap. Yuki sat back, still trying to figure out what he was going to say to him, he knew he had to let go of his bitterness about the past now, and figure out some way they could get on, going forward from here, and he needed to convey that to Ayame without upsetting him.

When Ayame was done eating, Yuki set the tray aside and pointedly handed him the oxygen mask back. Ayame sighed and put it on, looking at his little brother with a mix of hope and nerves in his eyes.

"What…what did you want to talk to me about?" Ayame asked, his voice tentative, subdued, under the muffling of the mask.

"I…I don't know, really 'nii-san. I want to…I want us to get along better," he said haltingly.

"I would like that, I...I don't know if I can change enough…"

"I don't want you to change that much, just, calm down a little, maybe," he said.

"I'll try my best," he said, looking more hopeful now.

"Good, so if we both try our best, then maybe we can put all the bad stuff behind us, and move on from here. You try to calm down a little around me, and I'll try to stop holding the past against you," he nodded.

Ayame's head dropped back against the pillows, his eyes drifting shut for a beat before he forced them open again.

"Sorry," he said, porcelain cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"It's all right; Hatori-san said you needed to rest. Go to sleep, we can talk more later, now that we know we both want the same thing," Yuki said, helping his brother to lie down again.

Ayame was out in moments, Yuki made sure he was covered up, and picked up the tray, heading for the kitchen to take care of the dishes. He saw Shigure sitting at the table with a cup of tea and the paper.

"How did it go?" he asked, looking up at the younger man.

"Not bad, we agreed to try to get along, he's asleep again now," Yuki said, putting the dishes in the sink and starting the water running.

"That simple, after all this time?" Shigure asked dubiously.

"I doubt it's going to be that simple really, but he agreed to try to calm down a little bit around me, and I agreed to try not to hold the past against him anymore. We'll work on it," Yuki shrugged.

"That will mean a lot to him," Shigure nodded.

"I know," Yuki sighed.

/x/

Kureno found Akito pouring over the ancient family records, tossing the fragile books aside as he came to the end of each one.

"Can I help, Akito-sama?" he asked cautiously.

"No," Akito snapped.

"Can I get you anything?"

"No, get out, I'm busy,"

"As you wish, Akito-sama, I will be outside if you need me," he said.

"Whatever, just go," Akito snarled.

Akito pulled the next book forward as soon as Kureno was gone again, he knew that the First Alliance was in here somewhere, the term had popped right into his head when Kureno had told him about the snake and the dragon, and he had a vague memory of sitting at the knee of the old caretaker who had ministered to the family after the death of the previous head, until Akito was old enough to take over, feigning interest as the old man droned on about the history of the family and how he would be expected to keep them in line.

"Where is it?" he hissed to himself, tossing the last book aside.

He was sure, so sure that it had been in the old family records. He would have to check his private library, see if he had missed any of the books, and failing that, he would have to check the main house library, to see if any of them had ended up there.

/x/

Hatori found Yuki washing up again when he came home that evening.

"Where's Shigure?" he asked.

"Keeping 'nii-san company, he's been asleep most of the day, we got him to eat a little of Honda-san's broth for lunch, and he just had the last of it about an hour ago. We got him to drink plenty too, when he was awake, he took all his medication on time, and he didn't need to use in inhalers," Yuki reported.

"That's excellent, thank you," Hatori said, he would ask Shigure if Ayame had needed to get up more, he didn't think Aaya would have asked Yuki for help if he wanted the bathroom.

Shigure was sitting on the side of the bed, absently stroking a sleeping Ayame's hair.

"Hey, he just drifted off again, he seems to be much better this evening even than he was this morning,"

"That's good, how was the dehydration today?"

"Much better, he asked to get up a half a dozen times. Did you have any more trouble from Akito or Kureno today?" Shigure asked.

"No, apparently Akito is obsessing over something called the first alliance or something at the moment. The longer he stays focused on that, the longer Aaya has to get well again, and that's the best thing right now," Hatori said, shooing Shigure out of the way so that he could make a fast checkup.

"Well, Yuki and I should get home; I'll see you tomorrow,"

"Thanks Shigure, that will be great, I'll say goodnight to him for you if he wakes up again.

"Thank you," Shigure said, squeezing his shoulder lightly and leaving the room.

/x/

Shigure sat in his study, staring thoughtfully at the window as he listened to the creak of the house settling as the rest of its occupants settled down to sleep. Once he was sure that no one was still around, he rose and moved over to the bookcase, carefully moving it forward an inch so that he could get his hand behind it.

He pulled out a canvas wrapped parcel, and went back to his desk, sitting down and opening the canvas; he lifted out the old book that was hidden inside. Opening the cover, he ran his fingers over the ancient pages inside, the fading ink on the page spelling out the words he remembered from the day he had snuck into the private library at the main house.

"The First Alliance," he whispered, touching the characters on the page.

"I'm not letting you hurt them any more than you already have, Akito, you can never get this back," he sighed.

It seemed like a waste to do it to such an old and valuable book, but he wasn't going to risk it falling back into Akito's hands, not now that Aaya and Hatori had got together. He tore out the first page, crumpling the brittle parchment up and putting it aside. The rest of the pages followed one by one, and once that was done; he shredded the fragile leather of the cover.

Pricking his ears once more to make sure he could hear nothing, he slipped out of the house, and headed to the small incinerator that sat at the bottom of the garden for things they couldn't risk throwing out with the household rubbish. He threw everything in, and sprayed a little lighter fluid on it, before throwing a match in after it.

It only took moments for the dry old pages and the ancient leather to burn away to ashes; he stirred the embers in with the old ashes and closed the door. He walked away without regret, knowing he had done what he needed to do to protect the most important people in his life.

Tbc


	15. Chapter 15

Hatori woke up in the watery grey predawn light to find Ayame watching him once more.

"Is something wrong? Are you feeling bad again?" he asked, alarmed.

"I'm ok," Ayame assured him, his voice still muffled by the mask.

"Then why are you awake? You're supposed to be resting," he chided.

"Why are you sleeping down there?"

"Because I need to keep an eye on you, I need to make sure you're all right," he told him patiently.

"Can't you do that, and sleep in the same bed as me?" he asked.

"What? Aaya…"

"I'm not suggesting anything improper, not yet at least, but you can sleep in here with me, Tori. I would appreciate the company," he pointed out.

Hatori studied him for a long moment, contemplating the idea. He felt vaguely odd about the idea of sharing the bed with the snake, and then mentally kicked himself, he was proposing to enter into a relationship with Aaya, had already entered into the relationship really, this was hardly the time to baulk at the idea of sharing a bed with him.

"You promise to behave yourself? You're not up to any hanky panky right now," he checked.

"I promise, I just want to snuggle," he said.

Hatori nodded and shifted up to lie beside Ayame, holding still as the slender form hesitantly settled in against him, Aaya's head settling on his chest, pale silk pooling against his throat. He shifted slightly to accommodate him better, wrapping his arms around him, tangling his fingers lightly in the long hair. Ayame's thin, nimble fingers stroked lightly over his chest, but he didn't seem to be trying to start anything, he was just being his normal, fidgety self, and soon the warmth of his body lulled the Snake back to sleep. Hatori lay awake, contemplating the man sleeping against him, it felt different to holding Kana when she slept, but not in a bad way, it felt more comfortable strangely. It felt as though Aaya's slight weight belonged there, against his side, on his chest. He kissed the crown of his head lightly, and settled back to try to get a little more sleep himself.

The sun was fully over the horizon by the time he woke again, Ayame still settled against him, fortunately undisturbed by the alarm clock. This was the only time Hatori occasionally envied Ayame his hearing impairment, he would love to be able to sleep through the bell some mornings, this morning especially.

"Well, aren't you two just so cute?" Shigure's voice from the doorway made him jump, and he paused in his blind groping for the clock.

"What the hell are you doing here at this hour?" he demanded fuzzily as Shigure strode across the room to silence the clock.

"I was having trouble sleeping, so I decided to head on over early, besides, my editor will be looking for me, I seem to have forgotten to prepare the draft I promised her today," he smirked.

"Why do you do it Shigure? You know you have the pages written, you always do, why don't you just give them to the poor woman and put her out of her misery?" he sighed, gently sliding out from under Ayame and settling him onto the mattress, making sure the mask didn't get knocked awry.

"Where would be the fun in that? What are the instructions for the day for our favorite patient?"

"If he's feeling up to it when he wakes up, he can get up for a few hours. I want him back in bed after lunch, even if it's only for a couple of hours. He can take the oxygen off while he's up, as long as he keeps his inhalers on him, and if he starts to have trouble breathing, you put him back on the oxygen and call me. Got that?"

"Got it. Can he go outside?"

"No way in hell, it's still too cold for him out there."

"Understood. I assume you'll be home at your normal time?"

"Barring emergencies, or Akito, yes. I'll call if there's a problem," he nodded, grabbing his suit and a clean shirt and underwear before vanishing into the bathroom.

Shigure looked down at Ayame for a long moment, studying the peaceful, contented look on his face as he slept, and he knew he had done the right thing in destroying that book. There was no way he would allow Akito to take this away from Aaya and Hatori; they deserved every chance to make it work.

Shigure turned and walked out quietly as he heard the shower stop, smiling as he saw Tohru puttering around the kitchen in her school uniform, making breakfast for Ayame and Hatori.

"Thank you for coming with me, to make breakfast, Honda-san," he said quietly.

"It was nothing, Shigure-san, it will be a nice change to walk to school with Haru-san and Momiji," she smiled brightly.

"Oh? Kyo and Yuki getting on your nerves are they?" Shigure asked.

"No, of course not," she said, blushing and shaking her head.

"It's just that now Momiji has started making friends at school, I don't often see him any more," she explained, dishing the food onto plates.

"You're a very kind person; do you know that, Honda-san?"

Hatori's voice from the doorway made both her and Shigure jump slightly, and Tohru blushed again.

"It's nothing. Will Ayame-san be up for breakfast, or should I cover it up for later?" she asked.

"I'll go and wake him, thank you Honda-san," Hatori said, realizing she was uncomfortable with being complimented.

/x/

Hatori repressed a sigh as he saw Kureno standing in the doorway to his office just before lunch time.

"What do you want now?" he asked a little impatiently.

"I need a cut looking at," Kureno said flatly, not looking directly at Hatori.

"Sit down and let me see," Hatori sighed, gesturing to the examination table as he pulled on a clean pair of latex gloves.

Hatori's eyes widened fractionally when Kureno took off his dark coat and gloves, the white sleeve of his shirt was soaked in blood from elbow to wrist, and there was blood streaking his hand.

"What the hell happened?" Hatori demanded, helping him get the shirt off, peeling it carefully away from the jagged gash in his forearm.

Kureno said nothing, looking away from Hatori, and the Dragon frowned at him.

"Did Akito do this?" he asked, gathering up what he needed to start cleaning up the wound.

"He didn't mean to, it was an accident," Kureno excused him softly.

"This is a bad gash Kureno, it's going to need stitches, it isn't the kind of thing that happens accidentally," he growled, starting to wash it out with sterile water.

"It was an accident. Akito-sama was just tired, and frustrated, he's been looking for something, and he can't find it anywhere. He didn't mean to push me so hard, and I was off balance anyway, picking up a broken teacup," Kureno insisted.

"Is that what cut you, the cup?" Hatori sighed, carefully tweezing a tiny shard of porcelain from the wound. He was beginning to hate the way they _all _just allowed Akito to get away with the spite and temper tantrums, the head of the house really was going to kill one of them, one of these days.

"Yes, it was the cup. Akito-sama really didn't mean for it to happen, he was so upset about it that he sent me straight to you, without even cleaning up the mess," Kureno told him.

Hatori firmly suppressed the sarcastic comment that he could feel trying to force its way out, he knew it wouldn't help. No matter how badly Akito treated the Rooster, he would always make the excuses and follow closely in his shadow.

It took nearly an hour to clean, stitch and dress the wound, and the two of them maintained a tense silence for the whole of that time.

"Keep this clean and dry, I'll prescribe you a course of antibiotics, and I want you to come back tomorrow so that I can check and redress this," Hatori finally said as he pinned the end of the bandage and walked back over to his desk, leaving Kureno to sort his clothing out.

"Understood," Kureno nodded, taking the prescription Hatori held out to him and vanishing out of the door.

Hatori sighed and looked longingly at the clock as he washed his hands, he wanted nothing more than to go home, and curl up with Ayame. He almost laughed at himself, realizing how little it had taken for him to go from being uncomfortable at the thought of holding the Snake close, to wanting nothing more than having him in his arms.

"Hatori Sohma, you have it bad," he told himself.

tbc


End file.
